Thoughts in the Night
by beamknight87
Summary: [Persona 3] The reflections of 3 SEES members during a quiet night. Complete.


**Thoughts in the Night**

By: beamknight87

I don't own P3

* * *

The crash came unexpectedly under the light of a creepy green-yellowish Full Moon.

In that instant, Minato's normal and carefree life turned to ashes.

For the very first time in his young life, he understood what the meaning of that distant word known as 'Death' was.

* * *

It came so suddenly, so terrifyingly fast, almost as if fate itself had already decided it for him since the moment he was born.

To laugh at him?

Or maybe… for something else...

One moment, he was on the edge of falling asleep in the back of the car, the sound of his parent's voices soothing him, telling him to get some rest to get ready to move out tomorrow from the city.

And in the next one, right in the middle of the Moonlight Bridge, he had heard his father scream, his mother barely saying "Watch out!" the screech of the brakes roaring against the road like a wild animal engulfed by fear, the sound of crushing metal ending such peculiar concert.

His body was sent flying violently against the back of the seat of his father, the blow strong enough to awake him completely. Miraculously, even after an accident that to most people would definitely had been fatal, he managed to survive it without even a scratch.

Fate again?

With such rudely way to be awakened, he first noticed that the vehicle had turned on its side, making difficult even for his small body to be able to move in the already reduced space now in an awkward position.

"Mom? Dad?" He asked; the fear and panic evident in his voice.

It only grew more when he saw the flames starting to eat the front of the car.

It only grew even larger when he noticed the dark, red liquid dripping from his parent's heads, glass and metal covering his faces, their eyes closed.

As if they were asleep. The only difference was that they would not awake.

Not the next morning.

Not the next day.

They would never do it.

Strangely, no tears came to his eyes. He was still too much in shock to actually believe what had just happened.

Then, the gunshots caught his attention.

The sounds indicated by their quick succession that they were being fired most probably by a machinegun.

Noticing that the flames would very soon reach him if he stayed longer inside the wreck of the car, he decided to try for his only chance to escape: The window in the back behind the seat of his mother had been open during the trip.

Accident?

Coincidence?

Pure luck?

Or yet again, fate?

It didn't matter; he had to do it, the natural human instinct of will to live almost taking control of his arms and legs, leading him through the window, to the coolness of the night.

The moment he managed to get out he almost desired to have shared the same fate as his parents.

Just to not have to face such sight.

There, in the middle of the bridge were two figures.

One clearly was a girl. A blond one actually. It seemed odd to him that she was actually firing bullets from the tip of her fingers, moving with such agility that she seemed like she was dancing.

She was indeed beautiful, and would have mesmerized him completely if not have been from the other figure.

There, just ten meters away from the girl, stood a… shadow, floating in the air. Its body consisting only in what looked like a black-bluish cloak, a white skull instead of a head with an enormous jaw, carrying a sword in its right… hand?

He stood there, unable to move, the sight of that… monster so chilling that he sworn his blood had become frost. Had his father lost control of the car by seeing this? He could not blame him. Right now, the blood in his body had turned into something even thicker than ice.

Apparently, both figures had been dealing with each other in a very serious way, his apparition in the middle of the battlefield serving as a momentary distraction for them.

It was only then that he noticed that smoke was coming out from the 'girl' and in the blink of an eye, the monster had turned his back to her, moving incredibly fast towards…

Him.

He couldn't even scream, the monster moving so chillingly fast that he expected to either be impaled by that long sword of his in the next instant or maybe he would be taken away by it, to be eaten at its lair as most of other kids and histories said that monsters usually did with little kids.

And then, when the white skull of the monster was right in front of his face, its grin a triumphant one, a third figure appeared: it looked like a female knight, a helmet with a red crest on her head, carrying a gigantic lance in front of her.

Said lance not only passed through the chest of the monster, but also his.

There was no pain, only the cold.

He felt how the monster was being infused _into_ his body by the lance. He tried to move away, to reject it, but he couldn't. The cold and the shock were far too great for him.

With a scream of agony, the monster simply disappeared.

Inside him.

And in that instant, he became a shell.

The thing that had entered him consumed him.

Devoured him from the inside.

As if his inner self simply... died.

Leaving him

Empty.

* * *

He awoke with a gasp, a scream of pure terror threatening to escape from his throat, the only possible way to express the horror he experienced that night. The frenetic beats of his heart hammering in his ears, making him think for a moment that his own heart would burst out from his chest in any moment.

Recognizing almost instantly the already familiar surroundings of his room managed to calm him down enough to avoid rudely awakening the rest of his companions of the dorm in a most unpleasing way.

Barely.

He gave a soft laugh, considering the relatively calmness and coolness he often displayed during situations that managed to put the always confident Akihiko and even the "Ice Queen" Mitsuru nervous, screaming like a baby in the middle of the night just 'cause he had had a bad dream wouldn't be like him.

Not to mention that he would never hear the end of it from Junpei.

He became aware that he was covered in sweat, his deep breaths eventually calming down until his breathing was normal again. His body was sticky due to the sweat, the disgusting sensation of his wet skin against the T-shirt assuring him that he was awake. That he was safe.

The eerie green light entering between the curtains of his window confirming him that it was the Dark Hour.

He stood up, slowly walking to the window just to take a look.

Apparently, the typhoon had ended.

Or at least it looked like that.

Since Tartarus was completely visible to him from there, no clouds around it or in the sky whatsoever to cover its disturbing and twisted form.

It was still weird for him to realize that during daytime, such place was the Gekkoukan High School all of them attended.

He gave a deep sigh. _'That damn tower'_, he thought. The more they went up, the more challenging it became. Just how many floors the damn thing had inside of it? A few days ago he had managed to get everyone up to the 139th floor. A titanic task in his opinion, yet to find again, the road blocked. Still… what secret did the tower locked away on its heights? Surely with time, they would discover it.

He wondered when Elizabeth would call him again to inform him of the change in Tartarus that would allow them to continue their quest. He often was tempted to comment his companions about her, Igor and the Velvet Room, but every time he was about to do it, something refrained him to do so. He knew that at least Akihiko and Mitsuru suspected something odd about him besides the fact that he could adapt so well to any battle situation, but never commented anything.

Much to his own relief.

He had enough with the inquisitive looks he got from everybody every time he announced that they could now visit the next floors of Tartarus.

He sat down on his bed, the sleep now completely away from him. He pondered again on his dream.

He had not had it since many years ago, and until now, he recognized the girl that appeared on it.

Aigis.

But... why? Why was she there that night?

She really did that to him that night? Did she... ? Put that thing inside... him?

The big question was that shadow. Decidedly, it wasn't like the common ones they often faced in Tartarus. It looked more like one of the big ones that appeared every Full Moon…

He decided to let the thought go. Maybe later he would try to ask about her past more in depth. Something told him since the beginning that the attachment the robot girl had for him was decidedly not a flaw nor an error as Ikutsuki had said. The dream of this night was enough confirmation that he had seen her before...

Ikutsuki… that guy… for some reason, his guts told him every time he saw him to be careful, something he felt only when dealing with shadows. Probably he used his lame jokes and attitude only to be considered a fool, since even if he was the Chairman of the group; it was evident that Mitsuru was the leader of SEES outside Tartarus. However, Akihiko had told him about his firm negative to let both him and Mitsuru go to help them that fatidic night of his "awakening" in the rooftop of the dorm. Was that man sure both he and Yukari would survive the attack of the shadows that night? What if he had been wrong? What would have happened if when he shoot himself with the Evoker nothing had occurred?

Without bothering to turn on the lights, he looked for his headphones; some music would help him to think.

So many questions, yet so few answers.

He decided to put his thoughts about Ikutsuki and that night aside. The Strega group also occupied his mind. Apparently, they would prove to be a formidable obstacle for SEES in the future, since given the short talks they had had during their encounters, their goals were completely the opposite. Even if that quiet (and weird) redhead girl, Chidori was under the care and observation of the Kirijo group, she didn't say anything, and it was obvious to him that even if Junpei was the only one whom with she talked, the idiot was more interested in fooling around with her rather than trying to get some information about her companions.

It was not until then that he remembered that normal electronic devices didn't work during this period of time, making him feel a little stupid for forgetting such fact. Anyways, he didn't remove his headphones, only the touch of his most precious possession helping him to focus a little more on his thoughts even if the device wasn't working.

There was also the tough looking guy friend of Akihiko, Shinjiro. He neither liked nor despised him. It was just that his attitude made him a little difficult to talk or socialize with, but Minato could tell that he was far more than a simple thug. As far as he knew, he used to live here and also was one of the original members of SEES, why did he leave the organization and the dorm until now was the real mystery that surrounded that person.

Also, Ken... he still didn't feel comfortable about having the kid involved with all the Dark Hour deal but heck, if SEES even had a dog among their ranks... guess that couldn't be helped.

And finally... that Pharos boy. The truth was that he enjoyed his company and conversations, which helped him to get prepared for each "ordeal" to avoid letting his team down. More importantly, for some reason, he felt somehow related to him…

Suddenly, the soft music started to play, the tune sounding through his ears, surprising him a little. The Dark Hour had just ended, the normal light of the street lamps entering through the window confirming it.

Feeling a little better, he closed his eyes.

Still, he couldn't sleep.

How long he stayed like that? A minute? An hour? Who knew? For him, time was beginning to become such a trivial concept since his arrival to the city that it didn't really matter.

Only when the music completely stopped he adventured to open his eyes again. Checking his music player, he noticed that the battery had run down.

Taking off his headphones, he decided to go down and get a drink. Something to put away the worries that had become a turmoil on his head and couldn't let him sleep. It was bad enough that due to the typhoon the school festival had to be cancelled. He didn't want to worry anyone more than necessary. He had slept two days in a row, most likely thanks to his power that was still evolving, as Igor said in his last visit to the Velvet Room.

Carefully, he opened the door of his room and silently closed it behind him. Being barefoot, no sound was made on the floor carpet. He knew the rules of the dorm and didn't want to get caught by Mitsuru infringing them. Akihiko often commented that Mitsuru was quite strict about following rules and codes, being really scary if somebody broke them in her presence. He even mentioned the word 'execution' but Minato wasn't too sure of have heard well that time. Anyway, proof of the strictness of the Kirijo heiress was the scolding Junpei once got when he tried to get a cup of ramen from the kitchen at 2:00am.

The poor guy didn't dare to the taste the stuff for a whole month.

His eyes being already adapted to the darkness, he didn't need to turn on the lights of the kitchen. It was then that Minato briefly debated what he should have.

Water? Too simple.

Tea? He would need the stove to prepare it.

Milk? A glass of it sounded like a good idea.

He opened the fridge and took said beverage, serving it in a small glass. Satisfied when he filled the container, he put back the white liquid on its place and went to sit down in the lounge, taking a sip.

He was about to do so when the sound of soft footsteps going down the stairs reached his ears.

'_Crap'._ He froze. If it was Mitsuru then there would be no excuse. Minato briefly decided if it was prudent enough to try to take cover behind one of the sofas, but decided against it. That woman had the senses of a tiger, or in this case, tigress and would instantly discover him asking him what the heck was he doing there at this time of the night. In any case, if he had to face her, he preferred to do it on his feet and not looking up to her.

Although it was most likely that he wouldn't stop shivering from fear in front of her.

Was really 'execution' what Akihiko said that time?

"Minato-kun... ? The familiar soft voice of Yukari Takeba was music to his ears. He even let escape a deep sigh he didn't even knew he was containing.

Turning around, Minato saw Yukari slowly going down until she stopped on the last step of the stairs. She was wearing her (not surprisingly) pink pajamas. Her hair wasn't messy and her face was not sleepy, indicating that most probably she had been up since the evening. Her eyes stared him intensely, much like in the very same way she did when he first arrived to the dorm.

"Yes?" Minato said, trying his best to give her an assuring smile, "It's only that... well, I couldn't sleep". It wasn't really the truth, but it also wasn't a lie, it was just that he feared to have to face that very same nightmare. Just remembering little details of the already fading away dream was enough to send shivers through his spine.

He hoped that Yukari didn't notice it.

"Oh. Is that so? Well, I guess it's only natural, since you already slept like a rock for two days", said Yukari, with a giggle, relaxing the awkward atmosphere. "I bet you didn't even hear when I and Junpei came to your room to find you drooling on the pillow".

'_So much for trying to avoid to look like an idiot'_, Minato thought with a small frown. Knowing his friend, it was sure that he took a picture of him in that state with which he would try to use to embarrass him for a while.

Deciding to change the topic to something that would not disfavor him, he continued to walk to the lounge, "What about you? It doesn't seem like you even tried to get some rest tonight". He sat down in the sofa closest to the main door, putting the glass of milk in the table.

"Ah... um... well", Yukari whimpered, looking a little uncomfortable by his question, but accepting the silent invitation, also directing towards the lounge and sitting in the couch next to him.

They stayed silent for a couple of minutes, Minato occasionally taking a sip from the glass. Just by taking quick glances to the girl, it was obvious that something was on her mind, troubling her. She just needed to organize her thoughts to be able to express them.

" . . . ."

" . . . ."

Finally, Yukari took a deep breath before starting to speak. "Do you mind if we… well, speak? I mean, we never had the time to do so before", she said, expectantly.

"Go on", Minato gently said.

"It's just that… well… ever since what happened when Mitsuru sempai invited us to Yakushima and… what we learned there… you know… from my father… I don't know, being here in the dorm thanks to the storm just made me think over and over again: Why? Why is that I'm fighting for? I know that people like us, who are aware of the Dark Hour can't just ignore it". Minato remembered the night Mitsuru's father showed them that video, Yukari had been devastated and even if he went on his own after her to the beach to try to console her, he wasn't sure he had done a good job. The awkwardness of that situation was too uncomfortable to bear, even for him. Hadn't it been for Junpei's perfect timing to intervene, he wouldn't have known what else to do that night.

"But still… I often doubt if what we are doing will really put a stop to this. Every time we go to face those… shadows, we put our lives in the line. You saw the last one in the Paulownia Mall. With each Full Moon that passes, they are getting stronger… What if… What if one of these days one of us… simply… doesn't come back? I don't think I will be able to handle it. Not when I know that my father was also responsible for all this". All her words came up in almost inaudible whispers, but it was obvious that the doubts in both her mind and heart were unnerving her. If she started to cry or something Minato wasn't sure to know how to deal with it.

'_Girls'_, he thought, sighing. _'Always so emotional'_.

He gulped down what was left of the milk before speaking up, not so loud to avoid waking up the others but also not in whispers so she could hear him well. He wanted to speak in a tone that could reassure her, to finally put away her worries doing what the others always commented he was so good at.

Being honest.

"… To be sincere, I have never really thought much about the reason why I fight". He said, his straightforwardness in a topic of so much importance for the archer girl taking her by surprise.

"Eh? What do you mean?" she said, looking up to his face, incredulity dwelling up in her red, puffy eyes. For Minato's relief, she did not cry. She was on the verge to do so but she didn't cried. "I mean… you're our leader out there every time we expose our necks during the Dark Hour. If it weren't for you and your decisions, it's almost sure that we wouldn't have lasted this long", she said, respect evident on her voice, making the blue haired boy feel a little uncomfortable. It was no big deal to him.

"Maybe…" he said, without sounding very convincing, much to Yukari's exasperation.

"What's with you?! You know very well that everybody here trusts and believes in you and your ability! And you act almost as if this bores you! You think this is some kind of a game?!" She finally exploded. To Minato it was no surprise though, even if it had been only for a short time, he knew her well enough to know she had extremely violent temperament changes when she was under stress. Even if they were still whispers, judging by the force behind her words, it was clear she meant to scream them. She would have done so, but he suspected that unconsciously she was aware that it was past midnight and such yelling would probably make all the residents of the dorm come down to know what the heck was going on.

Without batting an eyelash, he continued. "Does one really need to have a concrete reason to justify all of his actions? Back then, when we were on the rooftop, the very first time I ever used my Persona, I did it because our lives were in danger. That was reason enough to fight, at least for me. And it still is. I don't fight because I have to. I fight simply because I can. If I can fight, then I will fight. For as long as I need to do it. And when it's over, I'll move on, always looking forward", he said, calmly, holding her gaze with his own.

He expected his words to shake Yukari a little, to make her understand that she couldn't be dwelling forever in the past, feeling guilty for something she hadn't done. If she had been feeling like this ever since they returned from that trip to the beach it amazed him that she could have hidden it so well. Almost as if her daily face was a mask, a mask which she used to hide away her fears and worries.

He knew how that felt. After the accident, he often wondered if what happened was because of his fault, given that he survived. Only years later he realized it was useless to try to bear such a burden.

Nothing good came from it.

A weak squeak came from the direction of the stairs; it had been so faint that it had sounded almost as if only the wood had given an occasional screech.

"Also", he said, this time with a smile on his face, "If by doing so I can protect my friends, then it is enough for me".

Yukari's face softened, a smile also forming on her lips. "Baka… I guess now I understand why Akihiko sempai chose you as the head". It was then that Minato noticed that even if her lips were smiling, her overall face was not. "But… friends? I'm not sure if I can see everyone here like that. You, yes; I suppose Junpei also counts up to a extent since we three are even in the same class and Fuuka has adapted so well here that I also consider her my friend. But what about the rest? Our sempais always look so… distant from us. Amada-kun… he may be part of the group, but he is still a kid who shouldn't have to worry about this. And I'm not even going to begin with Aigis or Koro-chan", Yukari said in a sad tone.

Minato knew there was truth in her words. Mitsuru seemed to be always so distant from them, due to all the responsibilities that her family name implied. He couldn't agree in that terms with Akihiko, the truth was that both he and Junpei had spent a good time with the box champ during the trip to Yakushima (although said champ often became a nuisance by reminding them the total and complete disaster of 'Operation Babe Hunt' and his utter refutation to ever participate in some half-cooked plan of Junpei with the most minimal degree of anything perverted on it) and the bonds between them seemed to have grown stronger since them. As for Shinjiro… well, only Akihiko and Mitsuru knew him enough and the guy didn't seem eager to get to know the new members of SEES.

"That may be so, but the truth is that I don't think anybody in the dorm has opened up enough to the others", Yukari gave him a quizzical look. "Don't get me wrong, I have greatly enjoyed these five months with everyone here, but we still have ahead of us more than half a year of being together. I don't think that the bonds we have formed with everyone here will break only because we make the Dark Hour disappear; on the contrary, I think they will only continue to strengthen until a true friendship between all us is born".

Yukari stared silently at him for a long time. Either she considered his words to be either too optimistic or too stupid, but that was what he really felt, so he couldn't help it.

He was starting to feel nervous about saying something that had made the girl feel bad or angry with him, and started to make to try to think of something else to say.

What he got as response was a deep sigh of relief from part of the girl. "I suppose you're right. I mean, most of the times you're always right. But I think I can agree with you. If we manage to make disappear the reason that put us together, that doesn't mean that we should also be disbanded just like that. After all, this will continue to be our home even after that so then, we should continue to try to get along with each other, to become friends".

Both of them stayed silent again, this time no awkwardness between them whatsoever until Yukari talked again, this time more like the bright and energetic Yukari Minato knew.

"I'm glad we had this talk. Fighting to help and protect those who are important to me eh? Quite frankly, I often thought about it, but it seemed like such a noble thought that simply I couldn't really attach to. But if that's the reason why are you fighting for, I see no reason why I shouldn't also believe on that. Thanks for making me realizing this, I always thought that if I ever said something like that I would only made a fool of myself. And who knows, maybe later we will discover something even greater worth fighting for", she said with a giggle, indicating that she wasn't really serious on that comment.

However, Minato couldn't help but feel some kind of prophetic meaning behind those words of hers…

"Thanks, Minato-kun, you're always there to hear other's problems and help them to realize how to cope with them", Yukari said. She had never mentioned it to him, but she knew of his generous attitude towards other people thanks to her friends of the archery club that often commented how the "mysterious and enigmatic" transfer boy of her class had been helping in the Student Council, the kendo club, at the old bookstore down in Iwatodai Station and God knew what else.

"Anytime", he replied with a nod, taking it as the cue to leave the lounge, he stood up, starting to head to the stairs.

Seeing him starting to head back undoubtedly to his room made her realize that the talk was over, that most probably they would still face many challenges, but with the support of everybody, they would be able to overcome them. A part of her told her that she should do the same as him, return to her room now that her worries had been eased in such a simple way that she couldn't have ever conceived it. But other part of her, mostly fueled by curiosity told her that another opportunity like this to get to know better the person that had saved her life numerous times when she was supposed to protect his would hardly come again in the future. The mystic aura that always engulfed Minato Arisato seemed to have receded this night. She wondered why her feminine intuition told her that, but at least she knew that was an instinct of hers that she could fully trust, so, she decided to put it to use.

It was until now that she wondered why he was up so late in the night. After all, during the past five months that he had lived in the dorm, everyone knew that he had the most profound sleep of all. Not even an earthquake was capable of disturbing him, so, something serious must have happened to wake him up.

Could it be that a bad dream had interrupted his slumber this night?

And if that was the case... what kind of ghosts roamed his mind?

Could she help him to ease his fears and worries the same way he had done with her?

She decided to give it a try; after all, if she wanted to help and protect her friends, sharing worries was a good start to do so.

"Minato-kun?" She asked, making the boy in question stop right on his tracks, slowly turning around to her.

"… Yes?" he said, expectantly, surely wondering what troubled now the poor girl. Well, not this time she thought.

"Don't… don't you ever have any problems of your own? I'm truly sorry for calling you "Mr. Perfect" back then in Yakushima but… sometimes I believe such nickname fits you: you go to school and manage to get high grades and participate in extracurricular activities, you fight shadows as if they were nothing to worry about, you get to know more and more people and make friends through the city, you grow stronger with each day that passes. Seems like the perfect life since you don't have anything to worry about", Yukari said this not only with a tone of admiration, but also, full of curiosity.

Minato stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Was that how everybody else saw him? Junpei once gave him the cold shoulder accusing him of the same and even if later he admitted he was being an ass, Minato couldn't help but to feel guilty. Was his life that good? Enough to make others jealous of it?

Once he had read that humans enjoyed their difficulties. Perhaps that was that meant to be human.

If he had none… did that made him less human?

"Minato… do… do you have anything you would wish to say to me?" Yukari asked. He stared at her intently, analyzing the meaning of her words.

I seemed like Yukari however, though far ahead of him. "Ah! Eh… D-Don't get the wrong idea! I-I mean something that you could share with all of us. Something in which we could help you", she said rapidly, her cheeks flushing a bit, her gaze directed to the floor so he couldn't see her directly to the eyes.

He thought about it. Should he tell her… tell them about his nightmare? Say that his parents died ten years ago in this very city due to a fight between Aigis and shadow that apparently had something to do with him? He would never forget the first time that Orpheus appeared. Mostly because of that other more menacing looking Persona that appeared ripping Orpheus from the inside, giving him a massive headache. What really shocked him was that it strangely looked similar to the shadow of his dream.

"Yukari… I…" he began, and then, his mind seemed to freeze.

Or at least that was what Yukari thought when she saw his gray eyes go so… distant, a far-off look, as if he was recalling something. His often warm voice now so cold that it startled her.

"The decisions I made only concern me, they are my own responsibility alone, no one else's".

Yukari felt shivers running down her spine. It seemed as if the temperature in the room had plummeted ten degrees at least. However, even if she couldn't stop trembling, that robot-like response the blue haired boy gave her was the least thing she expected.

"W-what are you talking about? What about the people that gets involved with you when you take those decisions? They simply don't count to you?" she said, trying to follow his pace in the direction he was heading (whatever it was), even if she didn't had a clue of what the heck he was talking about.

Minato stayed silent for a minute, cocking his head slightly to one side, speaking up again in that same tone. "In this world… I just play my role. I must…" he paused, "I must…I must abide by my contract", he ended with a whisper.

"Uh?"

If Yukari was confused before, then now she didn't understood to what Minato was referring to by the word 'contract'. Play his role? None of what he said made any sense to her.

She didn't dare to ask further. She just stayed there, hoping that the boy would come back to his senses.

It didn't take long.

The disturbing blank look on his face disappeared, leaving instead a confused one. Blinking several times, he shook his head and then turned around towards the stairs, as if nothing had happened. "Anytime you need someone to talk to, I'll be here", he said, starting to walk.

'_Anytime?'_ He had said that before. Didn't he remember the last part of the conversation? What had just happened?

Her train of thought was interrupted by his soft voice. "We better get back to our rooms. It's late, and if Mitsuru sempai finds about this, I bet we will be extra-grounded by her. More even than Junpei and I don't' want to imagine how that will be. You know… a boy and a girl meeting this late in the dorm… no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem right", he said.

To this, Yukari's cheeks once again turned red, "Ah! Y-You're right!" she gave a nervous laugh, hurrying up to the stairs.

Just before starting to climb them, Yukari turned around to see him right in the face. "Minato-kun… I.. I just want you to know that… whenever you need someone to talk with, I'll gladly listen you", she said with a smile and in the blink of an aye, disappeared going up the stairs.

He gave a soft laugh; somehow, he felt that his relationship with the girl had just grown closer. However, he still didn't move.

"You plan to stay there all the night, Mitsuru sempai?" he asked, not even bothering to turn around to the corner of the wall covered by shadows, where a certain surprised redhead stood.

If the heiress of the Kirijo group was surprised, much to her credit she didn't show it. "Impressive", she started wit a faint degree of admiration. "Since when did you know I was here?" she asked, her tone full of curiosity, something odd to him given that he expected the terrible punishment Akihiko often warned them about.

"Since I heard that squeak in the stairs I knew someone went down from his or her room. It wasn't until I smelt your perfume a minute ago that I knew who it was though", he explained.

"I see… you never fail to amaze me", she said, although he didn't knew if that was a compliment or not.

"So… given that I broke the rules… what's the punishment?" Minato said, strangely enough, he started to feel sleepy again, something that when he woke up earlier this night thought wouldn't be possible.

Mitsuru gave a soft laugh, "I see that Akihiko has really warned you about me. However, let me first give you my thanks and most probably, on behalf of the rest of the group. Every member of SEES is vital, and their optimal physical and mental conditions are fundamental for them to excel. I truly appreciate that you shared your thoughts with Takeba. Ever since Yakushima I knew something troubled her mind, but not to such extent, and personally I never felt adequate enough to try to make her to share her thoughts either with me or with the rest of the group", she said, clearly disappointed with herself.

Minato just shrugged, "Anytime".

"… May I ask why you're not facing me? I think such accomplishment is of enough importance to be discussed seriously", Mitsuru said, impatience faintly present in her voice.

However, Minato's next words made her regret try to start a conversation at such time and place.

"Well, judging by how late it is and the fact that you heard our talk, I bet you're still in a nightgown. I wouldn't mind turning around, but I bet it would be an embarrassing situation for both of us. So, if you excuse me, I think it will be better for me to return to my room. I don't think Yukari would like to know that you heard us". And with that, the blue haired boy started to slowly ascend the stairs, no hurries whatsoever.

Taken aback, embarrassed and most certainly, stunned by his straightforwardness and the fact that he was right, Mitsuru delayed to response. "Arisato", she tried her best to sound confident. "Let's leave it in you taking care of Koromaru for a full month starting this morning, ok?"

He stopped for a moment. "Sounds fair to me", he replied, surely with a smile before also disappearing in the darkness of the hall. The faint sound of a door closing indicating that he had returned safely and without incidents to his room.

Still, Mitsuru decided to contemplate the lounge. The truth was that besides Yukari, she also had felt the drop of temperature and heard the strange voice which with Minato had talked in a so enigmatic way. Even if that was already over, her instincts told her that something was still… _off_.

However, she didn't found anything out of ordinary, only the glass that the blue haired boy had used to get himself some milk. Deciding that she could at least leave it in the kitchen, she went to take it from the table.

And almost dropped it when her fingertips touched it.

Emitting a surprised gasp she took her offended hand with the other one, trying to recuperate the warmth that the object had taken without any warning from her.

'_Can't be…!'_ she thought, but there was no mistake.

The glass and the little drops of milk left on it where completely frozen solid.

Mitsuru couldn't think in any plausible explanation for this. There, she stood, reflecting in the middle of the night with thoughts about herself, her companions, and the future of SEES, contemplating the thick-frost covered glass.

Since his "awakening", she knew that Minato Arisato was someone exceptional.

It was only that neither she nor the rest of SEES knew to what extent.

* * *

Author notes: nothing much to say, I only wanted to recreate a brief reflection of the main character and some of his companions of the situation in which they are involved right before things start to get more dark and serious. Frankly, the reason I decided to write this was after watching in youtube a video related to P3 called Persona 3 - Commu Break (subtitled). I laughed my ass off with it, I recommend to anyone who has played the game to watch it, surely you will have a good time. I only borrowed the idea of the main character waking up from a nightmare and then… well… I hope none of the contents in this little history spoiled you and if they did, I can only say I'm sorry about it. See ya! 


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